Truck center plate bearing

ABSTRACT

A bolster and car center plate assembly having complimentary load-bearing surfaces with spaced outer portions, thus shifting the loading toward the central portions and preventing failure at the outer portions as the car rocks during normal operation.

United States Patent 1191 Love et a1. Nov. 12, 1974 [5 TRUCK CENTERPLATE BEARING 686 247 11/1901 Barber 308/l37 1 1 Robert LOW, ParkForest; Robert 1323122? 3133; fiifili euijiiiii .:1.. 308/137 P.Radwill, Oak Lawn, both of Ill. I

[73] Asslgneez mz f ifl incorporated Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood,Jr.

g Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran [22] Filed: Mar. 9, 1973 Attorney,Agent, or FirmWalter L. Schlegel, Jr.

[21] ,Appl. N0.: 339,586

B [52] U.S. Cl 105/199 C, 105/226, 308/137 [57] A STRACT [51] P Cl 5/165/501 F16C 7/04 A bolster and car center plate assembly having com- [58]Fleld 0f Search 105/199 C, 199 CB, 226; plimentary lOadbem-ing Surfacesi Spaced Outer 267/3; 308/137 3 portions, thus shifting the loadingtoward the central portions and preventing failure at the outer portionsas [56] References C'ted the car rocks during normal operation.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 472,l5l 4/l872 Todd et al. 308/137 6 Claims, 3Drawing Figures TRUCK CENTER PLATE BEARING The present invention relatesgenerally to the underframe construction of a railway car vehicle andits supporting structure. More particularly, the invention relates toimproved construction for a center plate assembly.

The prior art includes a large number of center plate assembly designs.These generally include a body center plate depending from the undersideofa railway car body. The body center plate is supported by acomplimentary bolster center plate upstanding from the bolster of anassociated railway truck. Early designs of such assemblies had generallyhorizontal mating surfaces between the body and truck center plates. Adeparture from conventional body and truck centerplates involves the useof frusto-conical mating surfaces for accomodation of the body centerplate by the bolster center plate.

Experience has taught that high compressive stresses appear at the edgesof thefrusto-conical center plates as the car body rocks during normalrailway operation. Attempts to alleviate these stresses by enlarging orotherwise modifying the fillet which blends a bolster center plateassembly into the top member of its bolster have been only partiallysuccessful. Stresses on 100 toncars approach yield at an applied load aslow as 100,000 lbs. Ideally, stresses in this area should be below yieldat an applied load of at least 170,000 lbs.

An object of the present invention is to provide a center plate assemblydesigned to move the loading away from the highly stressed areas at theedge of the center plate assembly to an area where such loading isaccomodated without difficulty.

A further object of the invention is to provide a center plate assemblyconstruction having all or a portion of its outer area cut away so as torestrict loading to the central area thereof.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art upon consideration of the disclosure herein inconjunction withthe drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fractional side-elevational view of a railway truck bolsterhaving a frusto-conical center plate assembly in conjunction with acomplimentary railway car body center plate assembly;

FIG. 2 is a fractional plan view of the bolster center plate assemblyshown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a detailed side-elevational view taken along the Lines 33 ofFIG. 2 showing details of the improved bolster center plate assembly.

The invention is directed to the center plate assembly of a railwaytruck bolster and its associated railway car body bolster. The railwaycar is supported by the truck bolster for movement relative theretoabout the vertical axis of a center plate. The railway car is furtherdisposed for relative rocking movement relative to the associatedbolster.

Turning now more particularly to the drawings, the invention includes atruck bolster having a longitudinal axis and being resiliently supportedat its ends by conventional side frames and wheel assemblies (notshown). Bolster 10 includes an upstanding bolster center plate assembly12 having an upwardly facing frustoconical load bearing surface 14.Bolster center plate 12 defines king pin opening 16 for accommodating aking pin (not shown), about which surface 14 extends. At the outer rimof surface 14, bolster center plate 12 defines a downwardly facing endsurface 18 having a fillet 20 merging into the top of bolster 10.

A car center plate assembly 22 extends downwardly from an associatedrailway car body (not shown) and defines a frusto-conical load bearingsurface 24 complimentary with surface 14 of bolster center plate 12. Carcenter plate 22 further defines a king pin opening 26. King pin openings16 and 26 are in substantial vertical alignment to accommodate a kingpin.

As the car body rotates relative to the truck bolster, the load issustained by load bearing surfaces 14 and 24. As the car body rocksduring normal railway operation, the uniform load sustained by loadbearing surface 14 in the normal assembly position is transferred to theadjacent end surface 18. This load concentration substantially increasesthe stress, resulting in possible failure in that area or in theadjacent area of the bolster.

In order to prevent this failure, our load bearing surface 14 of bolstercenter plate 12 defines a novel contour. This contour results fromcutting away a portion of load bearing surface 14 to define a depressedcontour surface 28 extending transversely across the longitudinal axisof bolster 10 adjacent end surface 18. This contour surface 28 preventsthe load from being applied at the end portions of load bearing surface14 as the railway car body rocks, and thereby restricts high stressmagnitudes under adverse car rock.

In a preferred form of the invention, contour surface 28 extendstransversely approximately four inches on either side of thelongitudinal axis of truck bolster 10 and a distance of approximately I/1 inches along its longitudinal axis between an inner contact line 30and an outer contact line 32. The depression of contour surface 28should, of course, be sufficient to provide relief as the railway carbody rocks relative thereto. In our preferred form of this invention, ithas been shown that a depression of 4 inch is adequate for this purpose,depending upon the extent of wear allowance.

It should be emphasized that the depressed contour provides stressrelief not only at and adjacent to end surface 18 of bolster centerplate 12, but also shifts the load away from this end surface so that itmay be accommodated more evenly throughout load bearing surface 14.

Although the preferred form of the invention shows the novel contour inthe truck center plate, it should be understood that the contour may beprovided in the body center plate or in a combination of both body andtruck center plate assemblies.

While the invention has been described with regard to one type of bodycenter plate assembly and one type of truck center plate assembly, itshould be understood that modifications may be made in these elements aswell as changes in the overall design. For example, the frusto-conicalsurfaces may taper downwardly rather than upwardly, as shown in thedrawings, without departing from the spirit of this invention, which isto be limited only by the claims herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A center plate assembly for a railway vehicle comprising; a bodycenter plate having a body central portion including a lowerfrusto-conical surface tapering inwardly from its outer edge toward saidbody central portion, and a truck center plate having a truck centralportion including an upper frusto-conical surface tapering inwardly fromits outer edge toward said truck central portion, said frusto-conicalsurfaces being complementary and forming load-bearing surfaces betweensaid plates; at least one of said frusto-conical surfaces having acircumferentially oriented depressed contour contiguous to at least partof the outer edge of that surface.

2. A center plate assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidfrusto-conical surfaces have circumferentially oriented depressedcontours contiguous to at least part of their outer edges, therebyproviding spacing of said surfacesfrom each other.

3. A bolster assembly for a railway vehicle comprising; a bolster havinga longitudinal axis, a truck center plate on said bolster having anupper surface and an end surface; a body center plate having a lowersurface which is complementary to said upper surface and is engagabletherewith forming load bearing surfaces between said plates; said truckcenter plate also having a circumferentially oriented depressed contourinterme diate said upper surface and said end surface.

4. A bolster assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said contour isconcave when viewed in vertical crosssection.

I 5. A bolster assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said truckcenter plate has a concave contour on opposite sides of said centerplate and each concave contour is transverse to said longitudinal axis.

6. A bolster assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein .the intersectionof said concave contour with said upper surface defines an inner contactline, and the intersection of said concave contour with said end surfacedefines an outer contact line.

1. A center plate assembly for a railway vehicle comprising; a bodycenter plate having a body central portion including a lowerfrusto-conical surface tapering inwardly from its outer edge toward saidbody central portion, and a truck center plate having a truck centralportion including an upper frusto-conical surface tapering inwardly fromits outer edge toward said truck central portion, said frusto-conicalsurfaces being complementary and forming load-bearing surfaces betweensaid plates; at least one of said frusto-conical surfaces having acircumferentially oriented depressed contour contiguous to at least partof the outer edge of that surface.
 2. A center plate assembLy as setforth in claim 1 wherein said frusto-conical surfaces havecircumferentially oriented depressed contours contiguous to at leastpart of their outer edges, thereby providing spacing of said surfacesfrom each other.
 3. A bolster assembly for a railway vehicle comprising;a bolster having a longitudinal axis, a truck center plate on saidbolster having an upper surface and an end surface; a body center platehaving a lower surface which is complementary to said upper surface andis engagable therewith forming load bearing surfaces between saidplates; said truck center plate also having a circumferentially orienteddepressed contour intermediate said upper surface and said end surface.4. A bolster assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said contour isconcave when viewed in vertical cross-section.
 5. A bolster assembly asset forth in claim 4 wherein said truck center plate has a concavecontour on opposite sides of said center plate and each concave contouris transverse to said longitudinal axis.
 6. A bolster assembly as setforth in claim 4 wherein the intersection of said concave contour withsaid upper surface defines an inner contact line, and the intersectionof said concave contour with said end surface defines an outer contactline.